DHAKA, Bangladesh - The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) is sponsoring a regional conference in Dhaka on "the role of religious and community leaders in advancing development in Asia," now through March 24, and 70 religious and community leaders from fourteen countries across Asia are expected to participate.

Today, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and The Coca-Cola Company announce an additional joint investment of US$12.7 million in their global partnership, the Water and Development Alliance (WADA). Through this investment, WADA will support eight new multi-year programs throughout sub-Saharan Africa in Angola, Burundi, Ghana, Malawi, Mozambique, Senegal, South Africa, and Tanzania.

WASHINGTON D.C. - Global Pulse 2010, a three-day virtual event aimed at bringing together thousands of people from around the globe to discuss the world's most pressing challenges and envision solutions, will launch March 29, 2010. Created to enable listening, learning and sharing of ideas, this initiative marks the commitment of the U.S. to meeting the challenges of the 21st century by working towards universal goals in partnership with a wide variety of stakeholders.

MOSCOW, RUSSIA. - The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the International Foundation for Socio-Economic and Political Studies, the Gorbachev Foundation, signed a Memorandum of Cooperation on March 11, 2010 for joint activities in support of child welfare systems and enhanced social services for vulnerable children and families in Russia.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - TODAY, U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Administrator Rajiv Shah announced the launch of "Helping Shelter Haiti," an interactive, first-of-its kind exhibit that illustrates the agency's plans for sheltering those displaced by the January 12th earthquake. Haiti Task Team Coordinator Paul Weisenfeld also announced the formation of the Haiti Task Team to continue inter-agency coordination of the reconstruction efforts that are underway, and to replace the Response Management Team formed at the onset of the crisis.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - This Friday, March 12 at 12 noon the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) will launch “Helping Shelter Haiti,” an interactive exhibit that illustrates the agency’s immediate and long-term plans for sheltering those displaced by the January 12th earthquake. The exhibit will display a scaled version of the shelters currently being built in Haiti, and bring to life how the agency facilitates the reconstruction process when disaster-stricken countries request U.S.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, USAID Administrator Rajiv Shah welcomed the 2010 International Women of Courage Award winners from Afghanistan, Dominican Republic, Korea and Sri Lanka to USAID. Administrator Shah thanked the honorees for their outstanding contributions to the rights of women and the advancement of their countries.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, Colombian pop star and humanitarian leader Juan Esteban Aristizabal, a.k.a. Juanes, met with staff from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to exchange ideas and discuss possible opportunities for partnership. The conversation focused on USAID's programs in Latin America as well as the work of Fundación Mi Sangre, a non-profit organization founded by Juanes and dedicated to peace building in Colombia, the artist's home country.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The International Organization of Migration (IOM) has released the results of an eight-country 2009 survey into the health risks and needs of migrants and mobile populations. The survey was commissioned by U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and funded by the Southern Africa Prevention Initiative of the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR).

Today we commemorate International Women's Day and honor the courageous women who endeavor to build a better world for their children, families, societies, and themselves. This is a day to celebrate and acknowledge the essential role women play in the economic, political, and social advancement of their countries.

WASHINGTON, DC - The U.S. Government, acting through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), today officially presented to the Blue Nile State Ministry of Education the new Granville-Abbas Girls' Secondary School in Kurmuk. The school is designed as a model of girls' education for the region.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - In response to the earthquake in Chile the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) has provided $1 million to the International Federation of the Red Cross (IFRC), to help with emergency assistance needs. In addition to the $1 million to IFRC, USAID is providing shelter material and mobile water treatment units to assist the people of Chile.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - In response to the earthquake in Chile and a request from the Chilean government, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) is sending 18 satellite phones and a technician to assist with the dire need for communications equipment. In addition, USAID is sending disaster experts to assist the U.S. Embassy in coordinating the U.S. response and it has put its partners, the Fairfax County Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) Team and the Los Angeles County Search and Rescue Team on stand-by, should their assistance be requested.

PORT-AU-PRINCE - Yesterday the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) donated a Federal Medical Station, valued at approximately $577,000, to St. Damien Hospital in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. The pediatric hospital survived the 7.0 magnitude January 12 earthquake relatively unscathed, but was quickly overwhelmed by patients of all ages and unprepared for the numbers of adults requiring urgent care.

LA GRANJA, SPAIN - USAID Administrator Dr. Rajiv Shah met with European Union (EU) Development Ministers during the EU Development Ministers Informal Meeting in La Granja, Spain from February 17-18. Topics discussed included the Transatlantic Development Dialogue and Haiti.

PORT-AU-PRINCE - An orphanage here in Haiti, which we will not name in order to protect the children living there, was already providing a home to more than 150 orphans prior to the devastating earthquake that struck Haiti on January 12th. Now the number of children has expanded to include those who have recently been orphaned or temporarily separated from their families due to the earthquake, and that number far exceeds the facility's capacity to care for them. Hearing of the need, the U.S.

Washington, D.C. – As part of the ongoing medical response to the Haiti earthquake, USAID, the agency coordinating the US Government response, announced today that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has activated additional components of the National Disaster Medical System (NDMS) to help U.S. hospitals provide care to critically ill survivors.

Washington, D.C. - A U.S. team is on-the-ground in Haiti evaluating the status of the country's communications infrastructure and services following the devastating earthquake that struck Haiti on January 12th. The team was deployed in response to a request from Director General Montàigne Marcelin of Conseil National des Télécommunications (Conatel), the communications agency in Haiti, in coordination with the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).

PORT-AU-PRINCE - In response to the devastating earthquake that struck Haiti Jan.12, the U.S. is expediting the delivery of medical supplies, providing critical health services, and conducting assessments to help determine health priorities. The U. S. government also is helping to plan for Haiti’s long-term public health needs and harmonizing health inputs with other donors and groups led by the government of Haiti and coordinated by the Pan American Health Organization.